Young Readers Program

First launched in 2024, the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival expanded the reach of its popular Students Day programming in 2025 and 2026 to include author presentations at every elementary school in Sonoma Valley.

In 2026, bestselling children’s book author Jeanne Walker Harvey spoke to more than 500 students at four local elementary schools, and SVAF gave away more than 1,000 copies of Harvey’s newest book, The Glass Pyramid: A Story of the A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I. M. Pei. In total, SVAF has distributed more than 4,000 books to Sonoma Valley's youngest readers to date.

The elementary schools participating in the Young Readers Program include: Flowery Elementary School, Sassarini Elementary School, Kenwood Elementary School, El Verano Elementary School, The Presentation School, St. Francis Solano School, Woodland Star Charter School and Sonoma Charter School.  The elementary school programming was made possible in part by grants from Community Foundation Sonoma County and Sonoma Valley Education Foundation as well as individual donors and family foundations.

The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is also pleased to have funded the launch of the Read On Sonoma literacy initiative across all three elementary schools in 2026.

Learn more about the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Young Readers Program, aimed at elementary school students.